food truck bazaarMark Baratelli has been referred to as “Orlando’s Food Truck Baron” by the Orlando Sentinel and inducted into the newspaper’s Culinary Hall of Fame in part for his work creating the world’s first ever food truck tour called The Food Truck Bazaar. The Food Truck Bazaar is an event that tours central Florida and Orlando area at a relentless pace. Last year Baratelli and the Food Truck Bazaar organized well over 150 events.

Although Baratelli has received recognition by media and transformed his passion into a full-time business that helps spotlight local food and art, just a few short years ago Baratelli was hosting tiny events for just a handful of people with little fan faire. One such meet-up was called Taco Truck Taste Test where a few people would come together to sample local ethnic foods that were often overlooked by the residents of the Orlando community.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to organize an food truck event that people want to attend or just learn more about the evolution of the mobile food scene within the Orlando area, check out today’s interview. As always, thanks for listening and supporting the podcast!

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What You’ll Learn

  • How Mark’s previous career as a touring actor has helped him with running the Food Truck Bazaar.
  • Why Mark decided to launch his blog The Daily City in 2007 and the different evolutions the site has taken.
  • Learn about Orange Blossom Trail in Florida. Home to many authentic mobile foods.
  • How food truckers encouraged Mark to get involved in the mobile food community.
  • What is was like when the Food Truck Bazaar’s first big event came together.
  • How Food Truck Bazaar become the organizer for the Orlando Magic professional basketball team.
  • What the application process is like for a food truck to join the tour.
  • Ways that the Food Truck Bazaar helps food truck entrepreneurs promote and grow their business.

Mentioned in the Show

The Daily City – A blog covering the arts and culinary scene in the Orlando area. Mark Baratelli has covered the Orlando beat for years and is still going strong.

Part 2 of Mark Baratelli Interview – Catch the rest of this conversation over at the MR-Trailers.com blog. Part two contains more advice about organizing popular food truck events and insights into the future of the ever evolving food truck industry.

Mark Baratelli in Culinary Hall of Fame – A feature of Baratelli published in the Orlando Sentinel.

Fund This Campaign – Nick Ferrin needs your help raising capital for his Mongolian Food Truck that will operate in Salt Lake City, Utah. There’s only a few hours left to contribute to this campaign so act fast! Even if you can’t contribute please share on social media to help spread the word.

Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal – This innovative mobile restaurant is taking meat from animals that people don’t typically consider food and turning them into meals. More than just a restaurant, but a mission Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal uses meats like geese or in some cases pests to create dishes many folks have never tasted.

Want to start your own food business?

Hey! 👋I’m Brett Lindenberg, the founder of Food Truck Empire.

We interview successful founders and share the stories behind their food trucks, restaurants, food and beverage brands. By sharing these stories, I want to help others get started.

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